By hiring Michael Malone as their head men’s basketball coach, the North Carolina Tar Heels hope they can return to college basketball glory.
UNC will carry another, largely new-look roster, with Jarin Stevenson and Jaydon Young some of the 2025-26 roster’s notable returners for. North Carolina landed a couple high-profile transfers, including score-first guard Terrence Brown, who averaged nearly 20 points per game as the best player on a bad team.
Brown previously committed to the Tar Heels on April 21. A week later, Brown is officially signed to UNC’s 2026-27 roster.
Brown, currently a junior from Minneapolis, started his collegiate career at Fairleigh Dickinson. Brown arrived just one season after the Knights’ historic upset over a Zach Edey-led Purdue team, one many expected to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
With Seth Trimble and Derek Dixon’s departures, Brown will be asked to anchor Malone’s first North Carolina offense, both as point guard and the top scorer. The Tar Heels also have Young, Matt Able and a versatile Neoklis Avdalas in their backcourt, giving Brown much-needed assistance.
Utah transfer guard Terrence Brown has officially signed with North Carolina, @On3 has learned. https://t.co/uOWMfDRMryhttps://t.co/ED0tnX31JC
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) April 28, 2026
In other big portal news, UNC gained a Tuesday commitment from 6’11” Malian center Sayon Keita, who currently plays for FC Barcelona. Keita brings much-needed experience to North Carolina’s front court, while also showing Malone’s continued connection with international big men, just like in Denver with Nikola Jokic.
There’s still a possibility for the Tar Heels to add more portal guys, so don’t go finalizing their 26-27 roster just yet. Brown’s signing is a major win, with his experience and pure scoring ability sure to keep UNC in ACC competition.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Utah transfer Terrence Brown officially signs with UNC basketball